Everything You Need To Know About The Anode Rod In Your Water Heater

Water heaters can get corroded over time. This happens when you do not maintain your water heater properly. The hot water storage tank suffers corrosion over time. This is mainly because the hot water storage tank is made of steel. Corrosion is the process of oxidizing metal. It’s a chemical process that results in the wearing out of the metal. Corrosion can cause leakages in the hot water storage tank. That is why storage tank water heaters come with an anode rod to prevent the tank from corroding. The anode rod sacrifices itself to keep the tank from corroding. It's usually a steel metallic rod coated with an active metal, such as magnesium. The anode rod is inserted into the hot water storage tank through an opening on the side. The water forms a connection between the inner metallic walls of the hot water storage tank and the anode rod. The anode corrodes or rusts over time to keep the tank in good condition. The following article features everything you need to know about the anode rod in your hot water heater.

Importance Of The Anode Rod

As mentioned above, the anode rod is used to protect the hot water storage tank from corrosion. It corrodes on behalf of the hot water storage tank. The anode rod ensures that you do not have rust in your hot water. It also prevents corrosion in the hot water storage tank, which keeps the tank from wearing out and leaking. The anode rod also ensures that the hot water heater lasts for a longer time.

How It Works

The anode rod manipulates the electrochemical process of oxidizing metal. It does not actually prevent corrosion but it undergoes corrosion instead of the hot water storage tank. Anode rods are made of metals that are more active than the metals that they are designed to protect. When the anode rod is inserted in the hot water storage tank, it loses more electrons than the metal that is used to make the water heater thereby sacrificing itself to protect the tank. This means that the anode rod rusts or gets corroded over time until all the active metal is gone. This leaves the tank unprotected and at the risk of corrosion. That is why you should call a local Washington DC plumber to replace your anode rod every five years or so. Actually you should have your hot water heater inspected regularly so that you can determine a corroded anode rod in time for replacement.

Types Of Anode Rods

Anode rods are classified according to the type of metal coating used in them. There are three main types of anode rods, namely magnesium, aluminum, and zinc anode rods.

Magnesium Anode Rods

Magnesium anode rods are the most common anodes in water heaters today. Magnesium is a highly active metal and it protects the hot water storage tank properly. But magnesium is affected by hard water. It wears out very fast in areas with hard water.

Aluminum Anode Rods

Aluminum is another highly popular metal for coating anode rods. Aluminum is able to withstand hard water far much better than magnesium. The main problem with aluminum anode rods is that exposure can cause health problems including the risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease. Avoid drinking hot water from the tap if you have an aluminum anode rod.

Zinc Anode Rods

Zinc anode rods contain lots of aluminum and a small amount of zinc. The zinc coating is used to remove sulfur smells from the hot water storage tank.